They think its all over...

An apology first If I'm starting to bore anyone :) 

A continuation of my attempts to prompt my MP to bring constitutional reform out in the open and into the public arena. 

Dear David

I have made clear my views on these topics and I have nothing to add.

I have made clear what will get my support from the constitutional proposals put forward and what will not, and that is what I have made clear to the Government.

I accept that you may not agree with me, but you shouldn't presume that all of my constituents agree with you either.

We have a General Election next May when the people in the Shipley constituency have the opportunity to decide who they want to represent them in Parliament. I have already made clear to you that you shouldn't vote for me as I hold very different views to you - not many politicians will do that - and both of us must accept the verdict of the electorate.

You talk much about democracy and so you must also accept the democrat wishes of people in shipley as to who should represent them in Parliament. I always will, whatever their verdict may be. I am sorry that you appear less willing to do so.

No matter how many time you email me I am not going to agree with you on these issues. I had hoped you might at least appreciate me being so direct and honest with you.

Best wishes

Philip Davies MP

Dear Philip,

I do appreciate your honesty (a rare thing in politics!).

I would never dare to presume that all of the constituents of Shipley agree with me and I don’t believe I have said or inferred that at any point, the only way we would know is to ask them which is what this was supposed to be about – how do we have a full frank an open debate about the future of democracy in the UK? It isn’t about what I want or what you want, its about having that discussion and accepting that we are all probably going to have to make concessions, but that we can improve on what we have. There is nothing undemocratic about suggesting that we should at least explore having more democracy and redistribute power from the few to the many.

This is about much more than the General Election next year, like Scotland, if we are brave enough to have the discussion, and it has to be a public discussion, started by Parliament but seeking public opinion and ideas and acting on the public will and not in their own interests, we have a once in a generation chance to change things for the better.

So, instead of getting into a long drawn-out discussion that is going nowhere I just want simple answers to 3 simple questions:

Firstly, the one you have so far failed to answer , it’s a simple question that only requires a yes or no. Will you as my MP and representative ask David Cameron, William Hague and anybody else appropriate to : a) Not seek to rush through any proposals or changes just to appease back bench MP’s or to protect the interests of any one political party & b) Make sure all discussions about constitutional change are held in an open and public manner and no changes or legislation will be brought forth without proper public consultation and without the people of the UK having their say and agreeing to the proposals through a referendum. Yes or No?

Secondly, how do you think is the best way to have a public discussion on the future of democracy and politics in the UK?

Finally, how many of your constituents would have to express in an interest in having this discussion before you would take it seriously?

Yours sincerely,

David Slaney

Dear Mr Slaney

The answer to your 3 questions is as follows - although I have made my views clear already know.

1). No.  I have set out what I want to see, and that is precisely what I will be lobbying for whether that happens quickly or slowly.  It is the right outcome that is important to me not the speed. The fact that you are ignoring is that Ed Miliband is only not supporting English votes for English laws due to party political consideration.

2). I have no idea what you mean. There is always a public discussion about politics and these issues. Many constituents have emailed me about this issue and so there is no shortage of public interest and debate about this.

3). I do take this matter very seriously - hence my article in the Yorkshire Post.  However, my views are not determined by the number of people who express them - they are shaped by the quality of the argument.  No matter how many people tell me they agree with you, I can assure you that I still will not agree with you.

I hope they directly answer your questions.

Best wishes

Philip

Dear Philip,

I must admit that my initial feelings to your last e-mail where slight disappointment and disillusionment and a feeling that neither you or your party really want any real constitutional change for the better, rather you would prefer to protect your own interests and power. But having had more time to consider your response, I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for reminding me what I’m fighting for. I want to thank you for perfectly illustrating what is wrong with our democracy and why it is in desperate need of change.

Effectively with your reply, you are telling me I have no voice.

You are saying, that if you disagree with me I have no voice, no representation at the highest level.

You are saying if I have any concerns but you disagree with them I have no voice as you won’t take these concerns up with the correct ministers (obviously I can always try and contact those ministers direct – but as we know, trying to contact a cabinet minister or the Prime Minister personally is not always as easy as it should be).

You are saying the only opportunity I (or any other ordinary person) has to get involved in democracy at a national level is only once every five years when there’s a general election.

You are saying in between elections, Governments should be allowed to what they want, regardless of whether it was in their manifesto or not and this should just be accepted.

That s not true democracy. MP’s, Prime Ministers are not elected to rule, they are elected to serve, the voice of the people should always be heard. There’s a website which I’m sure you’re familiar with –“theyworkforyou.com”. There is a growing feeling that MP’s don’t work for us, they work for themselves and their donors.

You remind me that, apparently, the fact that I am “ignoring is that Ed Miliband is only not supporting English votes for English laws due to party political consideration”. I’m not ignoring it, I just don’t think it matters because any decisions made on constitutional reform should be made by us, the electorate, not by Ed Miliband, not by William Hague (who I believe is chairing the committee looking into this), not by David Cameron, or Nick Clegg, not by the Conservative party or the coalition government. By us, the people.

So thank you for unintentionally inspiring me and enforcing my belief that the changes that are needed to our political system, have to be discussed, decided on and agreed by the people of this country, not the politicians. Thank you for enforcing my belief that we need more democracy and we need to redistribute power down from the few and give it back to the many.

Thank you. I do have a voice, and I will use it in any way I can.

Yours sincerely,

David Slaney

P.S.  Regional devolution would solve the West Lothian question.